Engineering Mathematics 140 - Notes for Lecture 3 1

The Cross Product and Applications

Overview: We introduce the cross product for vectors in 3 space and look at some
applications.
Motivation: The cross product has many uses in engineering problems. In particular,
it is fundamental in the understanding of rotational forces and it is routinely used in the
description of uid mechanics problems.
Key concepts in this lecture:
The cross product.
Geometric interpretation and applications.
Contents:
Introduction of the cross product and an easy to remember rule.
Geometric meaning of the cross product - the right hand rule.
Parallelograms and parallelepipeds.
Scalar and vector triple products.
Outcomes:
Ability to calculate the cross product.
Ability to determine a cross product geometrically.
Ability to determine areas of parallelograms and volumes of parallelepipeds.
Exercises:
1. Exercise 12(e) (p. 598): 1, 2, 4(see p. 596 of the text), 6.
2. For each of the following expressions, decide whether it makes sense algebraically.
(a) a.(b c) (b) a (b.c) (c) a (b c)
(d) (a.b) c (e) (a.b) (c.d) (f) (a b).(c d)
3. The gure below shows a vector a in the xy plane and a vector b in the direction
of k (i.e. in the direction of the z axis). Given that ||a|| = 3 and ||b|| = 2,
Engineering Mathematics 140 - Notes for Lecture 3 2
(a) Find ||a b||.
(b) Using the right hand rule, for each component of a b, decide whether it is
positive, negative or zero.
Z
Z
Z
Z
Z
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
'
z
x
y
`
`
`
`
'
b
a
4. Find two unit vectors orthogonal to both i + j and i j + k.
5. Find a vector orthogonal to the plane which passes through the points P(1, 0, 0),
Q(0, 2, 0) and R(0, 0, 3). Then determine the area of the triangle PQR.
6. Find the volume of the parallelepiped determined by a = [1, 0, 6], b = [2, 3, 8] and
c = [8, 5, 6].
These exercises should take around 45 minutes to complete.
(Answers: 2.(a) Yes (b) No (c) Yes (d) No (e) No (f) Yes; 3.(a) 6 (b) rst positive,
second negative, third zero; 4. [
1

6
,
1

6
,
2

6
], [
1

6
,
1

6
,
2

6
]; 5. [6,3,2] is one possibility,
area=
7
2
; 6. 226;)
Engineering Mathematics 140 - Notes for Lecture 3 3
The Cross Product
The cross product only applies to vectors in 3 space and there is no meaningful equivalent
of it in other spaces. It can be easily described as follows.
The cross product of a = [a
1
, a
2
, a
3
] and b = [b
1
, b
2
, b
3
] is
a b = [a
2
b
3
a
3
b
2
, a
3
b
1
a
1
b
3
, a
1
b
2
a
2
b
1
]
Note the following:
(i) The cross product is itself a vector (note the 3 individual components).
(ii) For this reason, the cross product is also known as the vector product.
(iii) It is only dened for vectors in 3 space.
(iv) a b = b a!
Trying to memorize the cross product as it is dened above is dicult, because all three
components look similar. Instead, people have developed several simple visual memory
aids. Since we havent learned about matrices and determinants as yet, the rule given in
the text wont help. Instead, weve got the following scheme.
k i j i j
a
1
a
2
a
3
a
1
a
2
b
1
b
2
b
3
b
1
b
2
+ + +
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d

Briey put, we construct a 3 3 array, consisting of i, j and k in the rst row, the
components of a in the second row, and the components of b in the third row. Then
extend this to a 5 3 array by repeating the rst two columns at the back. Draw the
three forward diagonals shown in green as well as three backward diagonals drawn in
red. Multiply the entries along each diagonal and add these products according the signs
indicated (i.e. add the green ones and subtract the red ones). Following this scheme, we
get
i(a
2
b
3
) + j(a
3
b
1
) + k(a
1
b
2
) k(a
2
b
1
) i(a
3
b
2
) j(a
1
b
3
)
= i(a
2
b
3
a
3
b
2
) + j(a
3
b
1
a
1
b
3
) + k(a
1
b
2
a
2
b
1
)
= [a
2
b
3
a
3
b
2
, a
3
b
1
a
1
b
3
, a
1
b
2
a
2
b
1
]
= a b,
Engineering Mathematics 140 - Notes for Lecture 3 4
as required. This approach is actually equivalent to calculating the determinant of a 33
matrix, as we will see later.
Ex: Find a b if a = [1, 0, 2] and b = [3, 1, 1].
Soln:
k i j i j
1 0 2 1 0
3 1 1 3 1
+ + +
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d

a b = i((0)(1) (1)(2)) + j((2)(3) (1)(1)) + k((1)(1) (0)(3))

= 2i + 7j + k
= [2, 7, 1]
To get and idea of the geometric interpretation of the cross product, rstly note that
(a b).a = [a
2
b
3
a
3
b
2
, a
3
b
1
a
1
b
3
, a
1
b
2
a
2
b
1
].[a
1
, a
2
, a
3
]
= a
1
a
2
b
3
a
1
a
3
b
2
+a
2
a
3
b
1
a
1
a
2
b
3
+a
1
a
3
b
2
a
2
a
3
b
1
= 0,
i.e. a b is perpendicular to a! Similarly, we can show that (a b).b = 0, i.e. a b is
perpendicular to b as well!
This leaves two possible directions in which a b can point:
Z`

a b
a b?

Z
Z
Z
Z
Z
Z
`
`
`
`
`
`
'
Z`

a b
a b?

Z
Z
Z
Z
Z
Z
`
`
`
`
`
`
'
It turns out the latter is correct. To remember the direction of ab, we have the following.
Engineering Mathematics 140 - Notes for Lecture 3 5
RIGHT HAND RULE: If the ngers of your right hand curl in the direction of rotation
from a to b (through an angle 0 ), then your extended thumb points in the
direction of a b.
Note that the vector we saw in the rst diagram above was actually b a, i.e.
Z`

a b
b a

Z
Z
Z
Z
Z
Z
`
`
`
`
`
`
'
Having worked out the direction of a b, what is the length of it?
Although a little tedious, it is not dicult to show that
||a b|| = ||a|| ||b|| sin
where 0 is the angle between a and b. Note the symmetry of this formula to the
corresponding version for the dot product.
This gives us a way of checking whether two vectors are parallel or not, because parallel
means that they have either the same or opposite directions, i.e. = 0 or = . In either
case, sin = 0 and ||a b|| = ||a|| ||b|| sin = 0 which, in turn, means that a b = 0.
In other words, the only way in which the cross product of two vectors can be equal to
zero is if they are parallel.
Another interpretation of ||a b|| is the following. Consider the parallelogram formed by
a and b.
_ /
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
//
b

a
h
The perpendicular height is given by h = ||b|| sin . Now,
||a b|| = ||a|| ||b|| sin = ||a|| h = area of parallelogram.
Engineering Mathematics 140 - Notes for Lecture 3 6
Ex: Find the area of the triangle ABC for points A(2, 4, 2), B(1, 1, 3) and C(2, 1, 5).
Soln: Note that the area is exactly half the area of the parallelogram formed by

AB and

AC.
_ /
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
A
B
C
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
We have

AB = [1, 5, 1],

AC = [0, 3, 3],
k i j i j
1 5 1 1 5
0 3 3 0 3
+ + +
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d

i.e.

AB

AC = [12, 3, 3] and
Area =
1
2
||

AB

AC|| =
1
2

(12)
2
+ (3)
2
+ (3)
2
=
9

2
2
.
Here is a summary of other properties of the cross product. Most of these are fairly easy
to derive. Some are intuitive, others less so. We wont be making much use of these for the
remainder of this unit, but keep these as a reference for work in later units, particularly
uid dynamics.
(i) a b = b a
(ii) (ca) b = c(a b) = a (cb)
(iii) a (b + c) = a b + a c
(iv) (a + b) c = a c + b c
(v) a.(b c) = (a b).c
(vi) a (b c) = (a.c)b (a.b)c
Engineering Mathematics 140 - Notes for Lecture 3 7
Note also that
(i) a (b c) = (a b) c, in general.
(ii) i j = k, j k = i and k i = j (check these for yourselves. . . ).
In (v) above, a.(b c) is called the scalar triple product of a, b and c (since its re-
sult is clearly a scalar quantity). It has a nice geometrical interpretation. Consider the
parallelepiped formed by the triple a, b and c.
_
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a
c
b

b c
h
Clearly, the area of the base is given by A = ||b c||, the perpendicular height is h =
||a|| cos (simply the scalar projection of a on b c), assuming that cos 0. Finally,
the volume of the parallelepiped is given by the area of the base times the perpendicular
height, i.e.
V = Ah = ||b c|| ||a|| cos = a.(b c).
If cos < 0, this formula gives a negative number (since the body of the parallelepiped
appears below the plane). In either case, we can write
V = |a.(b c)|
Note the following:
(i) a.(b c) > 0 for 0 < <

2
(ii) a.(b c) < 0 for

2
< <
(iii) a, b and c are coplanar (ie. lie in the same plane) if and only if a.(b c) = 0.
(iv) a (b c) is called the vector triple product.